I think I mentioned Hell or High Water at the beginning of this thread. I loved it because it makes you think, unlike La La Land. They are two totally different types of entertainment.
I haven’t seen La La Land. But I did notice in the SNL skit, they make the argument that these are SUPPOSED to be regular people who can’t sing or dance. Although in the trailer, it seems she is a struggling actress?
Beats me.
“a mostly white cast for a show set in a city that is only 30% white”
The leads are white, but is the supporting cast mostly white? That’s not what I remember.
John Legend would beg to differ. The jazz clubs had lots of non-white people. And the opening scene and roommates weren’t all white. Do the numbers accurately reflect LA’s diversity? Maybe not. But it’s probably representative of Hollywood.
I’ve seen three of the nominated movies – “Arrival,” “La La Land,” and “Hell or High Water.” (I’m going to see Hidden Figures this weekend!)
By far, the movie I enjoyed most was “Hell or High Water,” but I guess I’m not your typical moviegoer and not a typical Academy member. I heard some critic on the radio say that the only movie that had “no chance” to win was “Hell or High Water”!
The Supporting Actor/ress category covers such a range of parts!
Michele Williams in Manchester this year reminded me of Viola Davis in Doubt nine years ago. Neither had more than 9-10 minutes of screen time in those films, and really only a couple of meaningful scenes, but absolutely made an indelible impression. Each of those films really seemed to pivot on a monologue by what was at most a secondary character.
And then you have parts that are really substantial. Last year’s winners, J.K. Simmons and Alicia Vikander, were in many ways the subjects of their respective films. Another actor in each case had slightly more screen time, but the difference was really only slight.
I saw ‘Hidden Figures’ yesterday evening and it was great!
My D’s school rented a movie theater and the entire school community went to see “Hidden Figures”. I’m hoping to see it later this week.
^ what a great idea ! Saw Hidden Figures last week- inspiring movie
Interesting that when Fences was on Broadway, Viola Davis won the Tony in the Lead Actress category. Now when it is a movie, it is Supporting Actress. It is really all maneuvering by the studios to place people in categories where they have a better chance of winning. Though I do think if she were nominated as Lead, she would beat Emma and Natalie. In Supporting, Michelle just may give her a run for her money.
“TV has never been better. All the terrific shows on HBO, Netflix etc are so well written and thoughtfully acted. I think it’s the movies (in theaters) that are suffering”
TV allows for long form storytelling that movies can’t achieve. The Night Manager is a good example. They tried to make a movie out of the story twice but it was unsuccessful. It took the 6 hours that Amazon devoted to it to tell that story well.
I disagree somewhat about The Night Manager. I thought the six-hour version was slow as molasses (and gave me lots of time to think about how massive some of its plot holes were). It’s probably true that it was too hard to make a two-hour movie, but three or four hours would have been plenty. I really love the current trend, but there are lots of shows that should be doing shorter seasons, and fewer of them.
I never get to movies these days, but this week I saw Hidden Figures, and it was just the best! So inspiring in so many ways, at the same time showing how bad things have been in the past (segregation, misogyny, etc.)
Really found it to be greatly uplifting just when I needed it.
Patriots Day was very emotional. In a Boston area movie theater, emotions were raw. It brought it all back and the actors who play the real people showcased at the end was spot on except for Captain Evans who was probably very hard to cast. I recommend it highly, but if you’re from Boston, bring a box of tissues.
My husband was in the marathon that year, and could not even bear to watch the trailer for Patriots Day.
well done, but starkly real
Has anyone here seen Charlie Kaufman’s latest - Anomalisa?
I’m not even sure what to say. Weird might be a good start 
I’d like
other people to go through it just so we can commiserate, but I’m not
sure you’ll talk to me afterward :-).
I like his stuff, but I’m sure the hit rate on his movies is pretty low.
I loved Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, but his other movies
are definitely a bit out there.
I liked Being John Malkovich. Some critics loved Synecdoche, New York,
but it was way too out there for me - and I’m willing to go way, way out there
Did anyone like that one?
I liked Synecdoche, New York, though it was definitely weird! Maybe I’ll try Anomalisa.
@Ballerina016, @floridamomof3, @Cardinal Fang, and any others who loved La La Land, I found a really interesting review of the film on YouTube by a woman who discusses many of the references to classic films/pop culture /physical L.A. landmarks that are found all throughout the film. Apparently the movie draws heavily from one of the director’s favorite films, *The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. *
This review was fascinating.
I was on a plane traveling for business yesterday and saw Denial. I found it to be a very thought-provoking movie. Didn’t realize until I got home that it was also Holocaust Remembrance Day.